Night latch



R. SASSE June 4, 1957 NIGHT LATCH Filed June 29, 1955 m w H N M o 4 United States Patent O NIGHT LATCH Reuben Sasse, Pomona, Calif.

Application June 20, 1955, Serial No. 516,667

5 Claims. (Cl. 292-194) This invention relates to night latches, and-included in the objects of my invention are:

First, to provide a night latch which maybe sub stituted for the conventional keeper plate to receive the conventional door bolt, and which incorporates a special hinged striker plate adapted to occupy a first position wherein the plate functions to cam the door bolt as the door is opened or closed, and a second position wherein the striker plate is locked in an angular position blocking movement of the door.

Second, to provide a night latch of this type in which the hinge connecting the keeper plate and striker plate permits limited axial displacement of the striker plate and incorporates locking elements engageable with said striker plate to secure the striker plate in its camming and door-blocking position.

Third, to provide a night latch of this type which is so arranged that it may be installed either end uppermost so as to fit either left or right hinged doors.

Fourth, to provide a night latch of this type which involves only two parts permanently attached to each other so that the night latch is not rendered inoperative by the loss of a part.

With the above and other objects in view, as may appear hereinafter, reference is directed to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is an elevational view ofthe night latch in its open position in which it functions as a striker and a keeper plate;

Fig. 2 is a similar view, showing the night latch in its locking position;

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view through 33 of Fig. 1, showing adjacent portions of the door and door l Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view through 44 of Fig. 2, showing adjacent portions of the door and door jamb;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional view through 5-5 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged sectional view through 6-6 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary developed view,

,showing the construction of the hinge which joins the keeper plate and striker plate.

The night latch includes a keeper plate 1 of such dimensions as to permit substitution for the conventional door keeper plate. The keeper plate is provided with a bolt keeper slot 2 and screw holes 3 for attachment to a door jamb in place of the conventional keeper plate.

Along one vertical margin the keeper plate is provided with hinge tongues 4. The hinge tongues are notched at their upper and lower extremities to form adjacent the keeper plate locking notches 5 and at points spaced from the keeper plate retaining notches 6. The notches 5 are deeper than the notches 6. Between the notches are formed stop lugs 7 and 8. At the extreme tip of each hinge tongue there is provided a clearance Patented June 4, 1957 ice elements, the striker plate is inserted thereon so that the webs 12 form journal elements within the cylindrical elements.

The distance between the slots 11 is such that intervening bridges 13 may pass between the hinge tongues. The retaining notches 6 are so located that the margins of the bridges 13 may drop therein to lock the striker-plate in its bolt-camming position, shown in Figs. 1, 3, and 5.

The locking notches 5 are so positioned as to receive the margins of the bridges 13 and lock the striker plate 10 in a substantial right angle position relative to the keeper plate, as shown in Figs. 2, 4, and 6.

By liftingthe striker plate axially, it may be pivoted between the notches 5 and 6. It will be observed that the notches 5 and 6 are disposed at both axial ends of each hinge tongue 4 so that the uppermost set of notches may function irrespective of which end of the keeper plate is uppermost. This arrangement enables the night latch to fit either left-hand-hung or right-hand-hung doors.

It will be observed that the locking notches 5 are deeper than the retaining notches 6 so that the shoulder formed by the adjacent portions of the stop lug 7 are substantial and fully adequate to secure the striker plate 10 in its locking position. Actually, the force required to break the night latch when in its locking position may well be in excess of the force required to shear the screws which fasten the keeper plate or required to tear the keeper plate bodily fi'om the door jamb.

Operation of the night latch is as follows:

Normally, the striker plate 10 occupies the position shown in Figs. 1, 3, and 5, in which position the striker plate functions to cam the door bolt A as the door B is closed. When desiring to use the device as a night latch, it is merely necessary to lift the striker plate slightly and turn it to its locking position, shown in Figs. 2, 4, and 6. In this position the striker plate blocks movement of the door irrespective of the position of the door bolt A.

While a particular embodiment of this invention has been shown and described, it is not intended to limit the same to the exact details of the construction set forth, and it embraces such changes, modifications, and equivalents of the parts and their formation and arrangement as come within the purview of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A combination bolt striker and night latch, comprising: a keeper plate adapted to fit on a door jamb and apertured to receive a door bolt; a striker plate; hinge means joining said plates, said hinge means permitting turning movement and axial movement of said striker plate relative to said keeper plate; and interlocking elements on said striker plate and keeper plate for securing said striker plate in a bolt-engaging position and in an angular position relative to the keeper plate, wherein said striker plate overlies the margin of said door to prevent opening of said door.

2. A combination bolt striker and night latch for doors 7 said plates having a plurality of slots clearing said hinge elements and aligned Webs bridging said slots to form hinge pin elements journaled in said hinge elements; and interlocking elements defined by the axial margins of said slots and axial ends of said cylindrical hinge elements for securing said striker plate in a first position forming a camming surface for said bolt, and a second position angularly related to said striker plate and overlying said door to prevent opening thereof.-

3. A combination bolt striker and nightlatch, comprising: a keeper plate adapted to fit on a door jamb and apertured to receive a door bolt; a striker plate; hinge means joining said plates, said hinge means permitting turning movement and axial movement of said striker plate relative to said keeper plate; axially directed notches and stops formed in said hinge means operable by relative axial displacementof said keeper plate and striker plate to lock said striker plate ina first position wherein said striker plate provides a bolt-camming surfacepand to lock said striker plate in a second position substantially at right angles to said keeper plate wherein said striker plate blocks said door. 7 V v 4. A combination bolt striker and night latch for doors having door bolts and hinged for swinging movementwithin a door frame, comprising: a keeper plate secured to said door frame and; apertured to receive said bolt;

a striker plate; one of said plates having a series of spaced coaxial cylindrical hinge elements; the other of said plates having a plurality of slots clearing said hinge elements and aligned webs bridging said slots to form hinge pin elements journaled in said hinge elements; a pair of notches formed in at least one axial end of each cylindrical hinge element engageable with the corresponding axial margins of said slots to secure said striker plate in a bolt-camming position and to secure said striker plate in a door-blocking position, said striker plate being axially movable relative to said keeper plate whereby said striker plate may be tinned between said bolt-camming and door-blocking positions.

5. A combination bolt striker and night latch as set forth in claim 4, wherein: said notches are disposed at both axial ends of said cylindrical hinge elements, for engagement with either axial end of each of said slots,

whereby said keeper plate may be mounted on a 600' 4 jamb, either end uppermost.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,067,427 Hester t July is, 1913 1,324,381 Bradshaw Dec. 9, 1919 1,620,526 Emig Mar. 8, 1927 

